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ilovepearljam
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Name: Sammy
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Birthday: 11/22/1983
Gender: Male
Interests: music, books, and grace.
Occupation: crime lab
Message: message me
Member Since:
8/3/2005
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| 01. David Bazan - Strange Negotiations
02. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
03. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
04. Yob - Atma
05. Yuck - Yuck
06. Josh T. Pearson - Last of the Country Gentlemen
07. Ulcerate - The Destroyers of All
08. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
09. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
10. James Blake - James Blake | | |
| Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa
Palo Alto by James Franco
What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
Hot Springs by Geoffrey Becker
My Cloven Feet by Chris Jay
The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence
The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich
The Tao of Wu by The RZA
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
Ghostwritten by David Mitchell
My Life as Adam by Bryan Borland
Desiring God by John Piper
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Letters to Emma Bowlcut by Bill Callahan
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Graphic Novels:
Ice Haven by Daniel Clowes
Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell
300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley
Other Lives by Peter Bagge | | |
| Location: Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. (Milwaukee, WI)
Time spent looking for my car last night: 30 minutes
Time getting out of the parking lot: 45 minutes
Hours of sleep: 6
Friday night, I ventured out of the hotel and found myself at Martino's. It was featured on Man v. Food, and they are milking that for all it's worth. There was a chalk board by the counter that said "Adam Richman ordered this". I ordered it. It was an italian sausage sandwich, topped with italian beef, then the whole sandwich is dipped in au jus. It is then topped with a specialty red sauce and hot peppers. It was delicious and I'm pretty sure juice from the dip made it all the way down my chin and neck and to my chest. I then went to Anodyne Coffee (where I am now) for a latte and to purchase a pound of their coffee. I read lots of things about how great their roasting was. I am having a cup of coffee here now and I hope it turns out nearly as well when I make it at home. Next was the St. Francis Brewery. They have a very nice, large restaurant that was pretty packed...too bad I wasn't hungry. I pulled up at the bar and watched the Brewers game with the locals. I talked to as many people as possible so I could hear that awesome accent. I tried three of their beers, and I can say they make a mighty fine beer. One was called Breakfast Stout, and I was about to ask why until I took a sip and got hit in the face with coffee flavor. On Friday nights, tons of places in Milwaukee have what they call "fish fry". I have no clue what the significance of this is, but now I'm a little sad I didn't experience it. The liquor stores also close at 9, so a lot of my friends probably couldn't live in Milwaukee. I got to one just in time to pick up a 4-pack of Sprecher, a beer my friend Brian had suggested. I had already had a few rich beers, so I could only get one down that night.
I was up early for continental breakfast on Saturday. It was not nearly as nice as the one in Effingham. I took off early for East Troy, just to make sure I didn't hit any traffic. I decided it would be cheaper to eat before I got out there, so I stopped at a Fazoli's (they must love Fazoli's and Dairy Queen up here...they're everywhere). It started pouring rain on my way out to the Alpine Valley Music Theatre. I had a poncho and umbrella in tow, so I was covered there. The music started a little late, so the first few acts had shortened time. Mike McCready came out and played two songs with Star Anna, one of which included a ridiculous solo. Jason Lytle was who I really wanted to see, but he only got to play four songs. I'm a little worn out today, so even though he would get to play a full set today, I think I will just go out there later. I wasn't too interested in much else until later in the evening, although I caught a little of Joseph Arthur, Glen Hansard (who had a super packed stage), and John Doe. It rained non-stop, so I spent a portion of the day under shelter in the expo center. Beers were $13, so I definitely didn't have any of those. The only thing I bought was a $7 slice of pizza. I found out you could bring in water, so I was covered there, and I am bringing some snacks with me today. I had a ticket for the grass lawn, which was pretty steep. My feet and toes were killing me after 6 hours of standing on a slant. First up at the main stage was Mudhoney. They sounded exactly like they always have, and I was stoked to hear "Keep It Outta My Face" and "Touch Me I'm Sick". Queens of the Stone Age played next and killed it! They finished with the one-two punch of "Go With the Flow" and "No One Knows". The Strokes were next, and although they sounded great, they are a little boring. Eddie Vedder came out to do a song with them. The Pearl Jam set was filled with numerous special guests (Liam Finn, Josh Hommes, Julian Casablancas, etc.) and lots of deeper cuts that they rarely play live. It was a rare treat for fans, and Eddie mentioned that tonight they were a party band. There was a buzz in the air about Chris Cornell being there, and he came out during the first encore as Eddie left the stage, a full on Temple of the Dog reunion. They ran through "Stardog Champion" (a Mother Love Bone cover), "Say Hello 2 Heaven", and "Reach Down" before Eddie came back out for "Hunger Strike". For the 2nd encore, Eddie came out and talked to the crowd for a bit before he was joined onstage by a couple of members of Mudhoney. Eddie said, "Mark has one more thing to say". Mark Arm (singer of Mudhoney), said he wanted to see a sea of hands and then yelled "KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERF***ER", and they closed out the night with a cover of "Kick Out the Jams". Everyone slowly herded out of the place. I had not paid any attention to where I parked my car, so I walked around like a Seinfeld episode until I finally came upon it. Getting out of the parking lot was a slow process, but I finally got out and made it back to Milwaukee. I am expecting the show tonight to include less guests and be more of a classic Pearl Jam show. They didn't play most of the classic hits last night. I wouldn't mind Neil Young as a guest though (which has been a rumor I heard a few times yesterday). It is nice and cool today (supposed to be in the 40s tonight), but the sun is shining and no rain is in the forecast. | | |
| Location: Milwaukee, IL
Miles Driven: 290
Hours in Chicago traffic: 2
Listened on iPod: Marnie Stern - In Advance of the Broken Arm, Sufjan Stevens - Illinois, Fugazi - In On the Kill Taker, James Blake - James Blake, MC5 - Kick Out the Jams, The Village Chapel Audio Sermons Podcast
I'm sitting here in yet another Econo Lodge. This one has a nicer lobby, and my room has two beds, but I do not have the luxury of a fridge and microwave here. I had continental breakfast in Effingham (biscuits and gravy, toast, donuts, and coffee) and headed out at a reasonable time. The landscape of the drive was mostly bright, golden corn, until I got into Chicago. The traffic was atrocious. Construction also abounds in Illinois. I've decided I'd much rather just take the bad roads of Arkansas. I'm pretty sure an alarm clock is going off in the room next to me. That may eventually drive me crazy. I haven't encountered any traffic in Milwaukee, so I'm hoping the drive to the show tomorrow won't be too bad. I plan on getting a bit of a head start just in case, but that will be nice for Sunday because I will have a good idea of how long it takes. I thought there might be a decent show in Milwaukee tonight that I could check out, but apparently the music scene is lamer here than I thought. The only thing I have found is the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and since I'm not my mom, I won't be going to that. I did look up a few places to eat that sound interesting, so I might just find the closest one to me and check it out. There is also a coffee shop I want to check out, so I may go there and do a bit of reading. Tonight will probably end with me in a bar or back in the hotel room with some sort of local brew. | | |
| Location: Effingham, IL
Miles Driven: 442
Tanks of gas used: 1 and 1/4
Listened on iPod: Eugene McDaniels - Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse, Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell, Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues, Superchunk - Here's Where the Strings Come In, Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, The Village Chapel Audio Sermons Podcast
This is the most appropriate place to log my trip to see Pearl Jam. I left today after work to start my journey to the Pearl Jam 20 Destination Weekend in East Troy, WI. I will be staying in Milwaukee for the weekend, and Effingham, IL, cut the trip up nicely. I am staying in Econo Lodges all the way. I think it is definitely my favorite hotel chain. The rooms are pretty cheap, and are always nice. I was pleasantly surprised that there is a continental breakfast (with biscuits and gravy no less), and the clerk hooked me up with an ethernet cable because the wireless is not working properly. The drive didn't feel too bad at all. Northeastern Arkansas and lots of Missouri are mostly just farmland, which is pretty boring, except I was driving through at sunset, which is absolutely beautiful when you can see the horizon forever. A quick stop at Subway gave me a chance to rest my legs, and I coasted into Effingham a little before 11pm. I need to get up in time for that breakfast in the morning, and then head to Milwaukee. I'm trying to decide if I want to try and grab lunch in Chicago or just go on through to Milwaukee. I might try to hit up a brewery tour or something, and I definitely want to see the Milwaukee Museum of Art. There is a shot of it in Bridesmaid, and it looks amazing. I brought Lolita with me, so I'll try to get some read before bed. | | |
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